Gas-check.



PATENTED AUG. 4, 1903.y

F. W. HOWSON.

GAS CHECK.

APPLICATION FILED IBB. s. 190s.

N0 MODEL.

no. renier.

siren daras Patented August 4, 1903.

Finca.

z"Arnim GAS-CHECK.

SEEGILIIGATON forming part of Letters Patent No. 735,101, dated. August 4, 1903. Application tiled February 3, 1903. Serial No. 141,658. (No model.)

To all whom iv' may conern:

Be it known that L FRANK W. HowsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Washing-tendu the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and'nseful Improvements in Gas-Checks, of which the following is a specidcation;

My invention relates to improvements in .gas-checks for breech-loading guns of that vice.

45- @Prior to my invention certain gas-checks genraltype known' asini@ De Bangein which a plastic pad 'compressible transversely and expansible radially under pressure of an obturator-head is employed.

-The primaryobject of my invention is to provide a construction which will operate efficiently to close the breech of the gun against the escape ci' gases formed by the explosive, which will permit of the free manipulation of the breech ping or block in inserting and removing the saine, which will shield the compressible pad from the gases, and which will further protectfsaid pad from all wear inci-` dent to the removal and displacement` of the,

block.

Other objects of the invention will appear and the many advantages thereof be. appreciated when my novel construction vis more fully disclosed.

' To eect the ends sought, the invention includes the construction and arrangement of` the component parts to be hereinafter described, and particularly set forth in the have been constructed designed in part to afford protection to the compressible pad from the gas and flame generated by the explosive, the most common form of which includesresilient rings mounted at eitherI side of the outeredge 'of theipad. In this construction the periphery of the pad is arranged, when joint-closure.

the charge is fired and the obturator forced rearwardly,compressin g the pad transversely,

to make firm contact with the gas-check seaty to prevent the gases escaping through the breech of the gun, while the ring referred to, arranged at the front of the pad, is designed to make joint with the wall of the powderchamber or gascheck seat to support the edge of the pad and prevent exudation of the plastic material of which the sameis formed under the enormous pressure placed upon said pad, and said ring acts, further, t0 an extent as a check to prevent the passage of the gases to said pad. These rings, Whether split or made endless and of expansible metal, are not designed, nor will they entirely prevent, the escape of gases from the powderchamber through the breech of the gun, and asa consequence the pads must beso constructed and arranged that their peripheries will make contact with the gas-check seat and perform themselves this office. The pad is thus subjected to an extent to the action of the gases formed by the explosive, and they are further subjected to attrition caused by contact withthe wall of the powder-chamber incident to the insertion and removal of breech-block.

It is my purpose to provide aconstruction in which the pad will be removed entirely from the escaping gases, and the check for preventing the escape of the latter throughthe breech will be formed entirely by a metallic device, the pad itself not being emthe ployed to make contact with the gas-check seat, butv merely to act upon said metallic The invention includes generally a pad of the character described of much less diameter than the gas-check seat, having a peripheralportion arranged substantially parallelto the latter, and pressure-surfaces extending beyond said peripheral portion and forming therewith an annular channel, and afniet-allic packing arranged in said channel and designed to be pressed into firm contact with the gas-check seat bythe pad and said pressure-surfaces when the pad .is

compressed transverselyand expanded ra-V dially under-the .pressure of the obturatorhead. u l i In the acccmpanying drawings the breech end of the gun or jacket is designated by the letter d and the breech-block iitted thereto by the letter b. The obturator, carried by the block, includes the ordinary head c, having a substantially dat rear face, between which and the oppositely-arranged front face of the breech-bloct; the compressible and expansible pad is arranged, the same surrounding and being.;- iitted upon the clitorater-spindle e, which is guided through an atrial opening in 'the breech-bloei.

.Mounted at either side of enter edge of the pad d are two metallic rings fg, 'having dat outer faces arranged coincident 'with the contiguous fiat faces of the pad, inclined faces h abutting against contiguous beveled edges of the pad, and second inclined faces '1l extending outwardly beyond the peripheral portion of the pad, between which faces i' and the faces h shoulders 7c are arran.ged,L the latter, togeiher with the faces e' and the peripheral portion of` the pad, forming an annular channel designed to'receive the packing device, to be hereinafter described.

The pad CZ is made much smaller in dialneter thanV the powder-chamber or gas-check seat and is provided with a peripheral press ing portion arranged substantially parallel with said seat and substantially in alinement or coincident with the faces of the shoulders lo. l

The packing device, which is located in the channel before referred to, is expausible circumferentially or radially, is provided with an. internal face designed to receive the pres sure of the peripheral portion ofthe pad, inclined side Walls designed to receive the pressure of the surfaces e, and a dat outer peripheral face designed to make firm contact with the gas-check seat. This device pieten ably ,constituted of two sets of expansible rings. One set of said rings comprises two members m m, substantially triangular in cross-section, portions of the bases of which iind seats upon the shoulders 7a k. Said niembers have straight inner Walls n, which are normally separated a slight distance from each other, inclined Walls o, coacting with the inclined faces '7l i', and inclined sides p, consitnting with each other and 'the contiguous surfaces /z e' annular contractible channels designed to receive the members constitutie g the second set ot' rings. The members 'r of the second set comprise resilient rings triangular in cross-section, the' bases of which are presented to the gas-cheek seat and the inclined sides of which find bearings against 'the synclinal Walls of said channels, before referred t0. in the bore o'f the gun when in their normal positions, so as to permit of the free manipnlation of the breech-block. When the gun is dred, the gases formed by the explosive pressing upon 'the mushroom-head torce the saine rearwardly with 4enormous power and coniprese the plastic pad transversely between the rear faceof said head and front face of The rings 'r are constructed to lit easily the breech-block, causing4 the pad to expand radially. The iiat peripheral porties d' thereof is forced against the bases of the rings m, which serves to expand the latter, causing the inclined sides p thereof to press against the coasting sides of the rings r, thereby expandingilie latter. Simultaneously the rings j" g are forced toward each other, causing the inclined surfaces t' thereof to press against the contiguous sides of the outside rings r, thereby assist in expanding the latter. Through this expansion ot the rings i the bases thereof are firmly pressed against the gaschecli seat, and as the abutting faces or walls of the rings f, g, m, and r are likewise firmly pressed together the gas formed by the explosive is absolutely prevented from either escaping through to the breech-block or from reaching the pad d.

.ln order to give the rings m o', forming the packing, suicient resiliency, the same may be split. and in the latter event in assembling said rings the meeting edp s thereof are arranged ont of alineinent Wit one another, so that the escape o the gases through the spaces between the meeting edges thereof will be checked;

From the foregoing s Will be appreciated that the pad is not utilized directly to prevent the escape of the gases, but is protected both from said gases and from any Wear incident to the manipulation of the breech mechanism, and it will further be appreciated that the particular construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings and hereinbeiore described can be modified or changed within a Wide range without departing from the si irit oli' my invention Having thus described my invention, is claimed as new, and desired tcbe secnred by Letters Patent, isl l. The combination with a gnn-harrel, a breech-block, and an ohtnrator-heao, cf a pad interposed between. said bloei; and head, having a peripheral. portion of less diameter than the bore of gun contiguous thereto and coacting with the Walls ci' said 'c e to prf vide a chamber, and a packing cluding plurality of exp a arranged in said chamber, snos't de scribed.

"lhe combination with a gun barrel, a breech-block, and an obturator-head, cfa pad interposed between. block and head, lie-,ri ing a. peripheral portion of less diameter than the bore et the gos contiguous thereto enacting with the Walls of said bore to pro-I vide a chamber7 and a metallic packing in cluding two sets ct' espansible rings arranged 'in said chamber, substantially as described. 3. The combination with, a ,qcnarreh a breech-block, and an obturatorliead, of a pad interposed between said block and head, hav

'ing a peripheral portion ci less diameter than the bore of the ,gun contignous thereto and coacting with the wallsct said here tio proico EEO

ing a set of rings coacting directly with saidv peripheral portion of the pad and a second set of ri'iigs coacting with the contiguous portion of the wall of the bore of the gunor the gas-check seat, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a gun-barrel, a breech-block, 'and an obturator-head, of a pad interposed between said block and head, having a peripheral portion of less diameter than -the bore of the gun contiguous thereto and coacting with the walls of said bore to pro'- vide a chamber, and a metallic packing ar'- ran'ged in said chamber, said packingiuclud ing a set of rings having surfaces coacting di-l rectly with the peripheral portion of the pad,

and a second set of rings having surfaces co-` acting directly with the bore of the gun or the gas-check seat, the rings of each set hav- `ing other portions coacting with the rings of the other set, whereby the rings of the second set are expanded, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a gun -barrel, a breech-block, and an obturator-head, of a pad interposed between said block and head, having a peripheral portion of less diameter than the bore of the gun contiguous thereto and coacting with the walls of said bore to` provide a chamber,- and a metallic packing arranged in said chamber, said packing including a pair of rings having flat bases coacting directly -with the peripheral portion of the pad, and inclined sides, and a second set of rings having dat bases coacting with the bore of the gun, and inclined sides coacting with said inclined sides of the rings of the first set, substantially as described.

6. The combination with the gun-barrel,- breech-block and obturator-head, of a pad interposed between said block and head, means associated therewith to form a peripheral channel, and an expansible packing-ring arranged in said channel, substantially as described.

7. The combination .with the gun-barrel,

-breech-block and obturator-head, of a radially-expansible device interposed between said block and head providing a contractible channel and an expansible ring located in said channel, substantially as described.

10,. The combination with a gun-barrel having a gas-check seat arranged in the powderchamber thereof, breech-block and obturatorhead, of a radiallyexpansible and transversely-compressible pad having a peripheral portion, rings mounted one at each side .of the outer edge of said pad having portions projecting beyond said peripheral portion of the pad and coacting therewith and the gascheck seat Vto form an annular chamber,'and

a metallic packing arranged in the latter, substantially as described. 4

11. The combination with a gun-barrel having a gas-check scat arranged in the powderchamber thereof, breech-block and obt'uratorhead, of a radially expansible and transversely-com pressible pad having a peripheral portion, rings mounted one at each side of the outer edge of said pad having portions projecting beyond said peripheral portion of the pad and coacting therewith and the gascheck seat' to form an annular cham-ber, and a metallic packing including two sets of rings having relative movement arranged in the latter, substantially as described.

12. The combination with a gun barrel, breech-block and obturatorhead, ofa compressible radially-expansible pad interposed between said/ block and head having a peripheral portion. `pressing-surfaces extending beyond said peripheral portion and vforming therewith an annular channel, -a packingring located in said channel having side faces corresponding to and coacting with said pres'- sure-surfaces, and an internal face coacting with said peripheral portion of the padysubstantially as described. v

13. The combination with va gun barr`el, breech-block and obturator-head, of a com-` pressible radially expansible pad interposed between said blockfand head having aperipheral portion, pressing-surfaces extending beyond said peripheral portion at an obtuse angle to the same :and forming therewith an annular channel and a packing-ring located in said channel having side faces corresponding to and coacting'with said-surfaces, and an internal face coacting with said peripheral portion of thepad=,substantially as described.

14. The combination with a gun-barrel, breech-block and obturator-head, of a compressible radi-ally-expansible pad interposed between said .block and head having a peripheral portion, rings mounted one at each side of the outeredge of said pad having inclinedf faces forming with said peripheral portion of the pad, an! annular channel, and an annular packing member arranged in said channel, substantially as described.

15. The combination with a gun barrel, breech-block andobturator-headpof a compressible radially-expansible pad interposed between said block andhead having a peripheral portion, rings mounted one at each side of the outer edge of said pad havinginclined faces forming with said peripheral portieril of the'pad, an annular channel, and an annular packing member arranged in said channel, 

